Residents of Natufe Estate and its environs in the Surulere area of Lagos have raised the alarm over the alleged construction of a cemetery within their neighborhood, staging a peaceful protest on Saturday morning despite heavy rainfall.
The protest, which took place at the construction site located off Babs Animashaun Road near Bode Thomas junction, drew attention to the community’s concern about the siting of a burial ground in the midst of residential buildings, schools, churches, and commercial establishments.
Chanting slogans and holding placards that read “No Cemetery,” the residents, under the banner of the Natufe/Animashaun Community Development Association (CDA), expressed strong disapproval of the project, which they claim had previously been halted by government intervention.
Speaking with journalists, CDA Chairperson Alhaja Omolabake Aminat Braimoh said the community had earlier resisted the developer’s cemetery plans over two years ago, only to discover recently that construction had resumed quietly during the recent Eid holiday.
“This man tried it before and we stopped him. Now, he is working day and night to push it through,” she said. “We heard he wants to build an adult cemetery here and another one for children about three blocks away. This is a residential area with schools and places of worship. A cemetery here will contaminate our environment, especially since most of us rely on boreholes for water.”
Braimoh added that formal letters of protest had been sent to the Chairman of the Coker-Aguda Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and that the community plans to escalate the issue to other relevant government bodies.
“We’re law-abiding citizens and that’s why we’re taking the official route,” she said. “We want the authorities to intervene before this goes too far.”
Also lending his voice, former CDA Chairman, Mr. Olarenwaju Olaniyan, stated that the developer, Olumide Amure, had faced similar opposition in the past, which led to government intervention. He questioned any claims of new approvals, expressing doubt that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu would endorse such a project in a densely populated residential area.
“We are not against development,” Olaniyan said, “but putting a cemetery here is a threat to our health and environment. It’s a matter of public safety.”
Olaniyan revealed that over 11 petitions had previously been sent to government agencies, and assured that the community would repeat the process to prevent what he called “a ticking time bomb.”
The Councillor representing the Natufe/Animashaun Ward at the local government level also confirmed receiving complaints from the CDA and pledged to forward them to the appropriate authorities.
“A cemetery is not suitable for such a residential area,” he said. “The people have made their position clear, and I will represent their concerns accordingly.”
When contacted for comments on Saturday, the developer, Mr. Olumide Amure, requested time to provide a detailed response and asked when the story would go to press. As of 3 p.m. on Sunday, however, he had yet to respond, and a follow-up message to his phone was not acknowledged.